Digging machine



R. F. HUBBARD DIGGING MACHINE Nov. 3, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 3, 1961 INVENTOR. fioaekrfi HUBBARD V BY ATTaR/VE Y'J" R. F. HUBBARD DIGGING MACHINE Nov. 3, 1964 Filed July 5. 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Roesxrfiflusamo Nov, 3, 1964 R. F. HUBBARD 3,155,432

DIGGING MACHINE Filed July 3, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 4

INV EN T 0R. RoaERTfi HUBBARD xl-r-romve vs United States Patent 3,155,432 DEGGKNG MACHINE Robert F. Hubbard, Hillsborough, Qaliii, assignor to Cargill, incorporated, Minneapolis, l /Finn a corporation of Delaware Filed July 3, 1962, No. 121,584

8 Claims. (ill. 3tl2-56) This invention is a machine for aiding in the removal of agricultural materials such as copra from storage areas by means of pneumatic conveying equipment. Specifically, this invention is a means for removing copra and the like from the holds of ships. Still more specifically, this invention is an electrica ly powered crawler-type vehicle that supports nozzles for vacuum tubes in close proximity to a pair of feeding augers equipped with means for raking materials above the augers downward and into them. Bearings spaced substantially inboard from the ends of the augers support them immediately in front of a back-up plate or blade in the center of which is the intake into nozzle of the pneumatic conveying system.

Heretofore, the removal of copra and similar materials from confined storage places such as the holds of ships was done by means of pneumatic conveying tubes that were used to pick up and convey materials loosened by workmen using hand tools. The normal work crew for such a hand operation consisted of eighteen men. While a crew of eighteen men can empty a ship rather rapidly, the cost in labor is relatively high and, of course, adds to the cost of the products made from the material being conveyed.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a machine for digging and loosening packed agricultural products such as copra.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such an agricultural products digging machine that will be supported on the surface of the material being dug.

It is yet a further object of this invention to provide such a machine that will avoid being starved of material to dig by reason of engaging other portions of the mass on which it is working with fixed portions of its structure.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a digging machine having low overhead dhnensions so that it can operate in confined areas.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a highly maneuverable digging machine.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a digging machine which, by reason of the combination of a novel rake structure and a feed mechanism having supporting means inboard of its ends can operate successfully in confined areas.

Other and further objects of the invention are those inherent and apparent in the apparatus as described,

ictured and claimed.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, this invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

The invention will be described with reference to the drawings in which corresponding numerals refer to the same parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the machine;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the machine;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the machine with broken lines illustrating hidden parts;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevation of the machine; and

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal section of the machine.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG- URES 1 and 2, the device is supported and made mobile by a pair of conventional endless crawling-type tractor treads 1t) and ll. These tread units are of conventional design, having the driving wheel 12 and an idler wheel 14 with various supporting idlers in between, such as those at E5 and lid. These units are integral track units acquired commercially and therefore not described in further detail as they are not inventive per se. The two tracks are secured together and held in spaced relationshi by suitable means such as frame plates 17 and 13 respectively. Each tractor driving wheel 12 is provided with an integral built-in reduction gear mechanism inside the case 3.

Plate 18 not only serves as one of the means for supporting the tracks in spaced relationship, but also supports the motors 2d and 21 and their respective additional gear reduction units 22 and 24. Gear reduction units 24 and 2-2 are connected by suitable link means 25 and 26 with the built-in gear reduction mechanism or" the driving wheels. Suitable controls for the motors such as the circuit breakers 27 and the starter panels 28 provide independent control of the motors 2t) and 21. For this reason, the tracks may be run forward or backward together or independently, to provide complete maneuverability of the device. it may be rotated Without motion either forward or backward or propelled in either direction. The reduction between the motors and the driving wheels of the crawling-type tractor treads is very great, so that a relatively low speed is produced in the machine when the motors are operating. A separate control panel 29 may be either used by a man sitting on top of the machine or walking beside it, with a short length of control cable extending between the panel and the machine, as the situation dictates.

Symmetrically placed on the machine are the lifting sling engaging members 31 through 35 respectively. These units not only serve for engaging the lifting sling but serve also as part of the support for the protective guard rails 36 and 37 which extend above and beyond the motor portions of the machine as a protection against their engagement with overhead portions of a ships hold when unloading is first commenced. Guard rails 35 and 37 are also secured to the framework of the machine fore and aft, as well as to the lifting sling members 31-35.

At the forward end of the machine, and supported at least in part by the guard rails 36 and 37, is a forward shield or blade 38. A horizontal member secured to the bottom of blade 38 provides rigidity for the lower edge of the blade. The blade is also rigidly engaged with the frame plate 17 by means of the vertical L-members 40 and 41. Blade 38, therefore, not only serves as a limit beyond which copra cannot easily get except at the central opening, FIGURE 3, into which it is desired that the copra pass, but also provides a mounting structure for much of the other mechanism involved in the digger.

For example, bearing brackets 44 and 45 are rigidly secured to plate 38 and support the bearings 46 and 47 which in turn rotatably support the auger shaft 48. As shown in FIGURE 3, the flighting 49 and 50, which is divided into two portions in order to leave space on shaft 48 for bearing 46, is arranged in such a manner that clockwise rotation of shaft 48 as viewed in FIGURE 1, will produce motion from right to left in FIGURE 3. The tlighting 5?. and 52, on the opposite side of the plate, provides exactly the contrary direction of motion with the same rotation of shaft 48. Thus, copra engaged by the flighting on both sides of its center is moved toward the central opening 42 which in turn is connected to the pneumatic conveyor pipes 54 and S5, seen most clearly in FIGURES 2 and 4. Each of the conveyor pipes is provided with a flange such as the one designated 56 for pipe 54 and to these flanges are connected the usual pneumatic conveyor hoses that are flexible in order to follow the machine. Power to drive auger shaft 48 is provided by motor 57 operating through a conventional reduction drive 58. Reduction drive 58 has a sprocket on its outboard end, which through a chain and conventional sprocket, not shown but located under the conventional chain guard 5d, provide rotation for a countershaft 6t). Countershaft 60 is suitably supported in bearings as at 61-65. A pair of conventional sprockets and chain connect the counter-shaft 60 to the auger shaft 48 and are located under the conventional chain guard 66. Countershaft 6ft also supplies the power to drive the eccentric rake generally 67 having the tines 68. Rake bar 69, to which the tines 68 are secured, is supported near each end by the connecting bars 70 and '71 respectively. The connecting bars '70 and 71 are each slotted as at 72 and 74 respectively. Each of the bars is provided with a guide support mechanism '75 and '76 for the connecting bars 7% and 71 respectively. Pin assemblies '77 and 78 slidably support the bars via the slots '72 and 74. At each end of countershaft dit is the driving member 79 and 80 respectively. These driving members are connected by an off-center pin assembly as at 31 and 82 to the connecting bars 70 and 71. Since the pin members 81 and 32 are off-center with respect to countershaft 6th on which the drive members 79 and 8t) are mounted, the pins til and 82 will travel in a circular path substantially larger than the diameter of countershaft as. Pins 81 and 82 secure the drive members 79 and 80 to the two connecting rods '79 and 71 which support a rake bar 69. As a result, the tines of the rake also describe a circle as countershaft 69 rotates, and they will rise as they move forward and lower as they move backward producing a raking action of materials that are in front of the machine and above the elevation of the augers 4952. Since the auger shaft 48 rotates in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 1, this means that the countershaft 60 rotates in the same direction since they are interconnected by sprocket and chain. The countershaft 6t) rotating in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 5 will cause the pin 82 for drive connecting rod '71 to move forward through the bottom half of the stroke of drive member 80 and retract during the upper half of the stroke. Thus, the raking action desired is produced with the rake rising as it moves forward, and descending as it moves backward.

Additional support and bracing between the two tractor treads may be provided as seems necessary and desirable, for example, the support and bracing assembly 34 which extends between the two tractor tread assemblies and provides support for the circuit breakers 2'7 and the starters and control arrangement 28. Also necessary for the operation of this unit is a power supply cable which is extended from the circuit breaker elements back to the flanges 56 and up out of the ships hold, along the line of the flexible pneumatic conduits, used for the conveyor. Obviously, different amounts of both cable and conduit will be necessary for different positions of the tractor within the ship. The control of the amount of slack in both the conduits and the cable is handled in the same manner that the slack in the conduits alone used to be accommodated prior to the application of this invention, to the accumulation and feeding of the material to the pneumatic conveying system. It is usually accomplished by means of a winch on the dock, or at least topside of the ship, and in the control of a man in telephone communication with the operator of this digging device. When the digger is to advance and require more conduit, a telephonic message from the tractor operator informed the winch man to release slack in the pneumatic conveying hoses and at the same time provide more electrical cable for the digging machine. A reverse procedure is followed whenever the machine is moved toward the entrance to the 4 hold so that there would be an excess of pneumatic conveying tube and cable.

The crew requirements for emptying the ships hold, when using the device of the present invention, includes a foreman in charge of the entire procedure, a man to operate the digging machine, a man in control of the winch taking up and letting out of slack in the conveying tubes and electrical cable as requred, a man in charge of the pneumatic conveying system itself, and two hand workers who get into corners and the like where the machine is too bulky to operate. The total crew for emptying a ships hold when employing this device, therefore, is six men, as opposed to the eighteen previously used for this job. In the initial stages of emptying the ships hold, when the copra is readily avail able and the machine may be freely maneuvered in al most any direction and continued to dig copra, the machine is considerably faster in emptying the ship than Was manual loosening of the copra. When the hold is nearly empty, however, and the only copra left is the final cleanup of odds and ends, the machine loses most of its efficiency since it cannot be constantly feeding copra to the pneumatic conveying tubes. For this reason, a six men crew using this machine actually takes a little longer to empty a ship than with the old eighteen man manual crew. However, with three of the machines and three six man crews, three ships could be emptied in approximately 20% more time than was required for the entire eighteen men to empty a single ship before. Obviously, a substantial saving in the cost of emptying the ship is effected.

It is apparent that many modifications and variations of this invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by Way of example only and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An agricultural material digging and feeding machine comprising: a frame, combination supporting and moving means secured to said frame, a back-up blade secured to one end of said frame, an opening in the center of said back-up blade, conduits connecting the opening in said back-up blade to the other end of said machine, an auger shaft rotatably supported by bearings secured to said back-up blade and said shaft inside of the outboard ends thereof, flighting on each end of said shaft and between the bearings supporting it which fiighting is constructed and arranged to convey materails from the outboard ends thereof toward its center with a predetermined direction of rotation of said shaft, and a motor on said frame and connected to said shaft for rotating it in said predetermined direction, in which raking means secured to said frame and comprising a single rake bar, tines secured to said rake bar, and means secured to said rake bar moving it as to cause said tines to move forward and up, then rearward and down in an elliptical path to rake materials above and in front of said auger flighting down and into its path.

2. The agricultural material digging and feeding machine of claim 1 in which lifting sling connecting means are SECUlfid to said frame and extend vertically therefrom, and guard rails secured to said frame and said lifting sling connecting means.

3. An agricultural material digging and feeding machine comprising: .a self-propelled mobile frame, means for driving said frame in a controlled manner, a backup plate extending across one end of said frame, an opening in the center of said back-up plate, conduits connected to said opening, conveying means secured to said frame in front of said back-up plate and having conveying portions thereof extending laterally beyond support means therefor, said conveying means conveying from the outboard ends of said back-up plate to the center thereof, and means on said frame for driving said conveying means at will, lifting connectors secured to said frame and extending vertically therefrom, guard rails secured to said lifting connectors and said frame, a rake secured to said frame and comprises: a rake bar, tines secured to said rake bar and said means for driving said conveyor is connected to said rake bar as to move it in an elliptical path carrying said tines forward and up and backward and down thereby raking materials above and in front of said conveying means down and into it.

4. An agricultural material digging and feeding machine comprising: a frame, endless tracks and driving assemblies secured to said frame for supporting and moving it, a back-up plate secured to one end of said machine frame, an opening in the center of said back-up plate, tubes connecting the opening in said back-up plate to the other end of said machine, an auger shaft rotatably supported by bearings secured to said back-up plate and said shaft inside of the outboard ends thereof, flighting on each end of said shaft and between the bearings supporting it which flighting is constructed and arranged to convey materials from the outboard ends thereof toward the center with a given direction of rotation, and means on said frame and connected to said shaft for rotating it in said given direction, guides secured to said backup plate, connecting bars slidably and pivotally secured to said guides, a shaft, eccentric drives on said shaft rotatably secured to said connecting bars, a rake bar secured between said connecting bars, and tines secured to and extending forwardly from said rake bar; said rake positioned in front of said flightin-g.

5. in an agricultural material digging and feeding machine comprising: a frame, a pair of endless tread driving mechanisms secured to opposite sides of said frame for both supporting and moving it, independent drive means independently controlled secured to each of said endless tread driving mechanisms, a back-up blade secured to one end of said frame, an opening in the center of said back-up blade, conduits connected to said opening in said back-up blade and extending to the other end of said frame, bearings secured to said back-up blade inboard of its ends and extending forward therefrom, an auger shaft rotatably supported in said bearings and extending beyond the [hearings to a point near the ends of said back-up blade, fiighting on opposite ends and between said hearings on said auger shaft, said flighting so arranged as to convey from both ends toward the center of said auger shaft when said auger shaft is rotated in a predetermined direction, a countershaft arranged on said frame above said auger shaft, driving means interconnecting said countershaft and said auger shaft, a power source on said frame and connected to said countershaft, guide means secured to said back-up plate near said auger shaft bearings, pins extending laterally from said guide means, slotted connecting bars mounted on said pins, rotary drive means secured to the ends of said countershaft, an eccentric rotating connection between said drive means and the end of said slotted connecting links nearest to said frame, a rake bar secured to the other ends of said slotted connecting links, and tines secured to and extending forward from said rake bar.

6. The agricultural material digging and feeding machine of claim 5 in which lifting sling connecting means are secured to said frame and extend vertically therefrom, and guard rails secured to said frame and said lift ing sling connecting means.

7. The agricultural material digging and feeding machine of claim 6 in which said independent drive means and said means for driving said countershaft are electric motors.

8. The agricultural material digging and feeding machine of claim 5 in which said independent drive means and said means for driving said countershaft are electric motors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,903,675 Hauge Apr. 11, 1933 2,247,049 Bosworth June 24, 1941 2,320,196 Roe May 25, 1943 2,776,036 Kling Jan. 1, 1957 2,860,927 Rothhaeusler Nov. 18, 1958 2,877,057 Burman Mar. 10, 1959 2,905,506 Kirstensen Sept. 22, 1959 2,941,843 Crump June 21, 1960 3,006,624 Doxey Oct. 31, 1961 3,021,180 Crump Feb. 13, 1962 3,078,081 Densmore Feb. 19,1963 

1. AN AGRICULTURAL MATERIAL DIGGING AND FEEDING MACHINE COMPRISING: A FRAME, COMBINATION SUPPORTING AND MOVING MEANS SECURED TO SAID FRAME, A BACK-UP BLADE SECURED TO ONE END OF SAID FRAME, AN OPENING IN THE CENTER OF SAID BACK-UP BLADE, CONDUITS CONNECTING THE OPENING IN SAID BACK-UP BLADE TO THE OTHER END OF SAID MACHINE, AN AUGER SHAFT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BY BEARINGS SECURED TO SAID BACK-UP BLADE AND SAID SHAFT INSIDE OF THE OUTBOARD ENDS THEREOF, FLIGHTING ON EACH END OF SAID SHAFT AND BETWEEN THE BEARINGS SUPPORTING IT WHICH FLIGHTING IS CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO CONVEY MATERAILS FROM THE OUTBOARD ENDS THEREOF TOWARD ITS CENTER WITH A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT, AND A MOTOR ON SAID FRAME AND CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATING IT IN SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, IN WHICH RAKING MEANS SECURED TO SAID FRAME AND COMPRISING A SINGLE RAKE BAR, TINES SECURED TO SAID RAKE BAR, AND MEANS SECURED TO SAID RAKE BAR MOVING IT AS TO CAUSE SAID TINES TO MOVE FORWARD AND UP, THEN REARWARD AND DOWN IN AN ELLIPTICAL PATH TO RAKE MATERIALS ABOVE AND IN FRONT OF SAID AUGER FLIGHTING DOWN AND INTO ITS PATH. 